Tag: reclaimed barnwood furniture

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A Celebration of Amish Barn Raising Season

This season, as with every year, the Amish communities witness a return to one of their oldest traditions: barn raising.

reclaimed barn wood furniture and the amishThe act is a celebration of something core to the Amish personality. A barn is the hub for many kinds of Amish work; it’s the nexus for their products and processes, including woodworking. Without their beautiful barns and the elegant process by which they’re erected, we wouldn’t have the materials the Amish turn into beautiful reclaimed barnwood furniture. To commemorate barn raising, we’ll take this time to dive into its history and its current status.

History of Amish Barn Raising

Barn raising began as a viable practice in the earliest American settlements. In those days, for want of contractors and carpenters, societies were interdependent and came together to erect the barns the way they came together to do anything.

It’s an essential practice to the Amish identity because it celebrates community, hard work, and common goals. The Amish refer to practices that satisfy these conditions as “frolics”. Barn raising is the most prolific frolic. Because it is a frolic, or an event that combines socializing with a common goal, it has sustained long after the advent of more practical methods.

reclaimed barn wood furniture

Why Has Amish Barn Raising Season Been Delayed?

This year, we have yet to see barn raising season begin in our area, though historically this is the most popular time. The most likely culprit for barn raising’s delayed initiation is the inclement weather experienced by the Midwest and the Northeast over the last several months. In fact, the moisture in the air has caused us to extend the kiln-drying period for our Amish furniture.

As the clouds disperse and the temperatures lift enough to show the countryside mercy, we’re sure to see new barns crop up alongside the equally productive flowers of spring. As for us, we’ll continue to provide handcrafted Amish reclaimed barnwood furniture.

It’s a tradition as valuable to us as the barn raising that fuels it.

What are the barn raising traditions in your area? Let us know in the comments below, on Facebook or on Twitter!

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See Old Barn Star Featured in Flea Market Style

We’re proud to announce that Old Barn Star is featured in the Spring/Summer 2014 issue of Flea Market Style. The home design magazine ran a feature called Born in a Barn, offering a nod to all of our products and showcasing one of our hutches. Thanks, Flea Market Style!

The barn aesthetic has enjoyed serious time in the home design spotlight in recent years, but it’s slightly more rare to find reclaimed barnwood furniture that’s actually handcrafted in the Amish tradition.

rustic barnwood hutch

A handcrafted piece of reclaimed barnwood furniture is truly one-of-a-kind, such as the barnwood hutch that’s pictured above. You’ll never see a duplicate because there’s something special and unique about the process of working with your hands. There’s a personality that a machine-built piece can never have. The best way to put your heart into your work is with your hands.

Again, let’s give Flea Market Style a big thank you for recognizing the importance of hard work and an artistic eye!

What would you like to see from Old Barn Star? Tell us about it on Facebook and Twitter, and keep checking the blog for more updates!

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Check Out Old Barn Star Amish Furniture on Facebook!

Old Barn Star is bridging the gap between a centuries-old tradition and modern media. We love reclaimed barnwood furniture, in all its various methods and presentations, but the old standards of word of mouth and local markets are no longer enough to spread the word in a contemporary sense. With that in mind we’ve taken to social media.

Old Barn Star on Facebook

Facebook began to change the face of modern media forever in 2004. Today, it’s the basic standard around which all social media revolves. Social media is an inextricable thread in the fabric of society today and Old Barn Star has a voice in the conversation.

Check out Old Facebook for all our latest offerings of reclaimed barnwood furniture. We update our posts in keeping with the changing season. We’ll let you know what changes you’ll see in our inventory, including new pieces and finishes. We’ll keep you updated on our latest Amish furniture blog posts as they roll out, as well.

amish furniture on facebook

Perhaps most importantly, our Facebook page is a place where you can have a voice. Tell us what you’d like to see! Interact with us. That’s the essence of social media anyway, isn’t it?

We’d like to get to know you a bit better and Facebook is the easiest place for us to do that. Like our Facebook page today and keep checking in for updates! We’ll see you there.

What would you like see from Old Barn Star? Tell us on Facebook!

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Amish Spring Traditions and How Reclaimed Barnwood Furniture Fits In

Spring, the season of pastoral renewal, is upon us again. Some winters, it’s easy to forget that it will ever return, but we quickly acclimate to the freedom of sunny days, lush flowers returning and even youthful love.

It’s the best season to order an Amish reclaimed wood table from Old Barn Star and have a meal in the sunshine. Our tradition is taken from the Amish, a culture that appreciates a beautiful spring day as much as any other. Let’s look at how the Amish welcome the springtime.

amish reclaimed barn wood in spring time
IMG Src: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d4/Amish_country.jpg

Springtime Amish Traditions

The Amish live their lives by the calendar because the calendar guides agriculture and many of their endeavors. Spring is the time for newlyweds to move in together. After the wedding, the groom begins to grow his beard. The Amish beard is a symbol for marriage that, like the fields and flowers, begins its journey of growth in spring.

Early spring is a time of preparation when Amish societies position themselves advantageously for the rest of spring. You’re likely to see industrious farmers tilling the freshly-thawed soil of their fields to ready it for seeds and to remove weeds. Then, the farmers plant and fertilize their crops.

reclaimed wood table for springtime

Spring is also one of two times per year the Amish hold communion. This rite typically ends with participants washing one another’s feet symbolically to honor the ancient customs of foot washing in biblical times, when travellers wore sandals.

Lastly, spring is a time the Amish use to sell their handcrafted products at market. With the entrepreneurship in the field, the same spirit persists in the workshop, where they produce wares like reclaimed barnwood furniture, baskets and quilts. It’s this culture we hope to represent with our rustic reclaimed wood pieces.

Whatever walk of life you hail from, spring is a season of activity. Take some time to get out there and appreciate it!

What are you doing to herald spring’s arrival? Tell us about it on Facebook and Twitter, and keep checking the blog for more updates!

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Why Old Barn Star is on Twitter

Handcrafting reclaimed barnwood furniture is a painstaking process. The minute details are what give the rustic Amish furniture its undeniable edge. They are lovely precisely because they take time, but that doesn’t mean we need to talk slowly when we tell you about them. Enter the Old Barn Star Twitter feed.

Amish Furniture

Just as Old Barn Star is appropriating a time-honored tradition and bringing into the modern fold, so does our Twitter page talk about time-tested processes in 140-character or less bursts. Old Barn Star’s Twitter feed will keep you up to date on what we’re doing, spotlight our reclaimed barnwood furniture and give you insight into the Amish culture.

Why Old Barn Star is on Twitter
Our feed can become your new Old Barn Star hub, the place where you can keep your finger on the pulse of reclaimed wood furniture as it makes its nexus into the modern conversation. Stay tuned!

What would you like to see on Old Barn Star’s Twitter feed? Tell us about it on Facebook or right on our Twitter page.

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Reclaimed Barnwood Wine Barrel Table Testimonial: lotus823

Old Barn Star recently delivered a 12-foot wine barrel table to marketing agency lotus823.Reclaimed barnwood WineTable1 furniture has enjoyed its renewed tenure in contemporary furniture trends and the addition of complete wine barrels is an elegant touch to the time-tested form. Our handcrafted reclaimed wood furniture complements the qualities of any room, particularly in the case of lotus823. It’s hard to have a conference without the conference table.

12-Foot Wine Barrel Table Testimonials

Here are a few testimonials from lotus823 on their 12-foot Old Barn Star wine barrel table:

“A huge thank you to the Old Barn Star team for creating an incredible conference table of gorgeous reclaimed barnwood and wine barrels for us! barn wood tableIt is truly amazing and beautiful! Thank you, Tracy and Mike!” –David and Allison Hernandez, Managing Partners and Co-Founders

“The new furniture from Old Barn Star is gorgeous. The fusion of the warm, rustic nature of the reclaimed barnwood and wine barrels surrounded by a sleek, stylish office design offers a unique juxtaposition of traditional and contemporary – which coincidentally is also what lotus823 as an agency strives to be.” –Katie Foley, Director of Client Relations
reclaimed furniture
“Our new furniture from Old Barn Star is not only beautiful, but with the unique wine barrel table legs, it serves as a major statement piece for our new office. The table offers a traditional look, but with a modern twist – an ideal fitting the lotus823 brand. It’s really great that we can bring a new piece of Old Barn Star with us from our previous space to our new one.” –Beth Gard, Senior Account Executive

“I’m a big fan of anything that has character and this table exudes it. This Amish-made table brings that extra touch of character to our conference room. Thank you Tracy and Mike for delivering it to our new office!” –Chris Keuling, Account Executive

“Having a wine barrel table for a conference table in our amish furniturenew office is the perfect focal point and piece to help spark the creativity needed to generate game-changing ideas. Not to mention it is one of the most unique pieces of furniture I’ve seen.” –Jess Guida, Integrated Marketing Manager

“The wine barrel table walks the line between rustic and chic perfectly. It really opens up the room.” –Dave Campbell, Creative Content Specialist

Thanks so much, lotus823! We’re so glad the table is settling in nicely at its new home. As you can see, a reclaimed barnwood table has the ability to redefine a room. The lotus823 office took on a different atmosphere after we set up our wine barrel table in it for them. We hope everyone at lotus823 gets as much pleasure from using it as the Amish did from making it.

What piece of Amish furniture would you like to see spotlighted next? Tell us about it on Facebook and Twitter, and keep checking the blog for more updates!